Muslin is a type of fabric which is commonly used for clothing, upholstery, curtains, and even backdrops. This material is made of cotton and originated in India and the Middle East. During the 17th century, people across Europe started wearing clothing made of this material. At the end of 18th century, muslin became a very popular fabric in France and was used for many purposes. Since the fabric is very light and airy, clothing made of this material is perfect for hot, dry climates. It can also be used in cooking as well, such as for home-scale cheese-making. If you are a member of a theater community or if you love to watch various theater productions, you are probably already familiar with muslin backdrops. In a theater production, each scene is normally characterized by the change of the backdrops.

The Backdrops function as mood setters. Typically, a play usually features more than one backdrop throughout the whole show. Imagine if a play only uses a flowery backdrop even though it has several sad scenes. Surely this would not work. Thus, different backdrops are needed for different moods or settings. Now the question is, why are backdrops usually made of muslin rather than other fabrics? What is so good about this material? First and foremost, muslin takes dyes very well. Although it tends to shrink a bit after it is colored, the material is perfect for backdrops as artists can paint on the surface of the fabric with ease. It is also relatively cheaper than other types of fabrics such as canvas or vinyl. To paint muslin backdrops, the person who will do it needs to have a good sense of art, especially if the backdrops will be used for a theater production, a movie, or studio photography. However, this rule does not apply to people who want to practice painting on the fabric first to improve their skills. Additionally, a wide space such as a large room or studio is also essential so that the paint will not make other things in the room dirty. If you do not have a large enough space inside your house, you can simply use your garage or backyard. To be able to paint the muslin backdrops well, you might want to turn on some soft music to help you concentrate on your painting. As mentioned previously, muslin backdrops as are used in movie production as well.

Most stores use Christmas backdrops to mark the holiday. When you start to see holiday scenes in the stores, you know the sales are about to begin. Scenes with gifts are common backdrops depicted in stores. This is a good way to get shoppers into the buying spirit.

Recommended photography backdrops are those that will not clash with the subject’s makeup and clothes. If your subject is wearing a light shade of orange and pinkish makeup, you better not choose a royal blue backdrop. Another example is your subject wants to submit modeling photos, this time to a magazine about outdoor activities. Though you have backdrops in the studio that depict mountains and sunshine, wouldn’t it be better to take the photo shoot outdoors, since the subject’s purpose is to show pictures that have an outdoor theme?

There are many colors for you to choose from when you are considering what photo backdrops are best and to make it even harder there are solid one-color Studio Backdrops and also the grungy looking, dual or tri coloured backdrops.

In my experience, the one color solid backdrops are better for macro or product photography, except white and black, which are great for portraits too, and I personally think they should be a part of every photographer’s studio equipment.